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Spontaneous Transfer of Droplets across a Microfluidic Liquid-Liquid Interface
Haozhe Yi1, Taotao Fu1, Daofan Ma2
1State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China.
Abstract:
The droplet transfer across an interface in a microchannel is extensively utilized in diverse fields; however, it is challenging to drive droplets to penetrate the interface at such a small scale. In this study, a novel flow pattern of droplet transfer is observed and the mechanism is investigated; accordingly, an accurate prediction equation for determining the critical condition of droplet transfer is proposed. Meanwhile, the liquid film entrainment is also observed, which leads to the formation of an oil-in-water-in-water system. This study serves as a valuable reference for further studies on the mechanism of droplet transfer and provides practical guidance for its industrial application.
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